Satellite television has become increasingly popular due to its wide variety of programming. Entertainment in automobiles such as DVD players has also become increasingly popular. It would be desirable to provide a satellite television system for a vehicle so that the wide variety of programming may be enjoyed by the rear passengers.
Set top boxes, sometimes called integrated receiver decoders, are used to receive the satellite signals and decode the signals for playing on a display.
During sporting events, a game may be blacked out in a certain area due to contractual limitations with sports leagues. For example, local stations may not be able to carry a football game if all the tickets are not sold for a particular game.
Subscribers to satellite TV may also have special sports packages through which various events may be received. One example is the NFL Sunday Ticket® provided by DIRECTV®. This package allows users to obtain all the NFL games. Often times, however, a user may desire to watch the broadcast with a particular local broadcasting team. Therefore, the user may first choose a local channel as option for viewing.
When a blackout occurs, a black or blank screen may be provided. In addition, a message that the service is not locally available may also be provided. Viewer satisfaction may be reduced since the viewer is expecting to watch a particular event on the particular channel. Calls to a customer service hotline are typically increased during this period. The increased call volume is costly to the provider and may reduce the satisfaction of the viewer.